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GOP braces for Medicare blowback

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) has already declared that she won’t vote for the Ryan budget, and Brown came out against the plan Monday in an op-ed in POLITICO, a reverse of his earlier stance, which had caused a huge backlash in the Bay State.

Murkowski said she was unsure whether she could back the Ryan proposal, citing the Medicare measure in particular. “I have not yet firmly come down on the Ryan budget,” Murkowski told POLITICO, saying she’s clearly “concerned” that it could further limit access to providers in Alaska. “I’m not so sure about the components of his Medicare proposal.”

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Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) hasn’t said how she will vote, but with reelection looming next year, she has made statements critical of the Medicare provision.

Sen. Dick Lugar (R-Ind.), who faces a tea party challenge in his bid for a seventh term, said late Monday that he will vote in favor of the Ryan plan, while Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) said last week that he’s leaning toward backing it.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said he’ll vote for the Ryan budget, adding during an appearance on “Fox News Sunday” that the Medicare voucher plan is a “very sensible way to go to try to save Medicare.”

McConnell added that he is not pressuring his colleagues to vote for any budget proposal — perhaps realizing the political peril for some Republican senators.

McConnell will counter Reid’s floor tactics by forcing Senate Democrats — who have to defend 23 seats in 2012 versus 10 for Republicans — to vote on the budget plan offered by President Barack Obama.

“So let’s just stipulate that nobody is trying to throw Grandma off the cliff. Medicare is in serious trouble, serious trouble, and soon,” McConnell said.

Republicans in both chambers are accusing Democrats of playing politics with the House budget vote, and they have tried to counterattack by pointing out that Democrats haven’t bothered in the past two years to come up with their own budget proposal.

“I thank Senate Majority Leader Reid for drawing attention to the fact that it’s been over 750 days since Senate Democrats passed a budget,” Ryan said in a statement to POLITICO. “I am disappointed, however, in the Senate majority leader’s abdication of leadership. Instead of working together with House Republicans to save Medicare, Sen. Reid has chosen to play politics with the health security of America’s seniors.”

Readers' Comments (533)

You know the real blow back should be against the Democrat Party and America's dirty dishonest liberal/progressive MSM wolfpack press who have taken our nations severe Fiscal crisis and are now turning the Ryan Medicare "proposal" into a "politcal game" in order to gain power.......

America is heading straight for a huge Deficit Iceberg and the USS America will sink if we don't steer away from it. The Obama Administration is Staying-the-course which is NOT acceptable.......

This Federal Government is borrowing .40 cents on every dollar spent.

These entitlement programs need REFORMED...........not next month or next year ........NOW !

And if Obama doesn't address them soon he will be a one-term president. The American people have had it with politics as usual.

America needs a new president in 2012.................this one simply isn't working, nice guy and family, but its not working.....................we will have to hire someone new in November 2012.....

It is absolutely incredible to watch our Federal Government continue to be Non-Functional. Surely the American voter can now see how inept Congress is at handling any of the big problems facing America. They would rather spend all their time spinning the story to fit themselves. It demonstrates their total disregard for the American People. As we approach Memorial Day, and as a Vietnam Veteran, I am more apalled to watch our members of Congress demean our entire democratic process. They disgrace the very halls they prance around in looking for some reporter who will listen to their worthless dribble. The American Voter must stand up for themselves because the clowns in Washington will do nothing for us. Any member of Congress who has been in office for more than one term needs to be Thrown Out of Office permanently. You are Not the Solution but the very essence of the Problem. Furthermore members of Congress should not be passing out empty platitudes to Veterans across this once great nation to attempt to honor our service. As a Veteran you disgust me. We make great personal sacrifice to protect your sorry asses and let's think of the many Veterans who Gave All. America is certainly on the path to Decline. Wake Up America. The Time to Act is NOW.

It is absolutely incredible to watch our Federal Government continue to be Non-Functional. Surely the American voter can now see how inept Congress is at handling any of the big problems facing America. They would rather spend all their time spinning the story to fit themselves. It demonstrates their total disregard for the American People. As we approach Memorial Day, and as a Vietnam Veteran, I am more apalled to watch our members of Congress demean our entire democratic process. They disgrace the very halls they prance around in looking for some reporter who will listen to their worthless dribble. The American Voter must stand up for themselves because the clowns in Washington will do nothing for us. Any member of Congress who has been in office for more than one term needs to be Thrown Out of Office permanently. You are Not the Solution but the very essence of the Problem. Furthermore members of Congress should not be passing out empty platitudes to Veterans across this once great nation to attempt to honor our service. As a Veteran you disgust me. We make great personal sacrifice to protect your sorry asses and let's think of the many Veterans who Gave All. America is certainly on the path to Decline. Wake Up America. The Time to Act is NOW.

“I’m sure Democrats will try to spin it that way,” said House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy, noting that Republicans have a poor record of winning special elections, especially in the Empire State.

McCarthy is being challenged in his home district in California, because he is pressing for More Legal Immigration by H1b Visas.

Currently 147,000 foreign workers are brought to the USA..with their families ..On permanent USA Visas. They work in Computer Industry, Architeture, Engineering,...any thing. Most are from India, with ADS in the New Delhi Times specifing if Hindu or Muslim workers are desired. DO THE MATH. KEVIN MCCARTHY..AND REPUBLICANS LIKE HIM, AND SOME DEMOCRATS....BRING IN 147,000 LEGAL WORKERS EVERY MONTH........TO TAKE USA JOBS. THAT IS 1,764,000 LEGAL WORKERS BROUGHT INTO THE USA............TO TAKE GOOD PAYING JOBS...........THEN MCCARTHY AND CO . GET UP THERE AND WAIL ABOUT CREATING JOBS. THE ONLY JOBS THEY CREATE ARE IN THE WAR INDUSTRY..."K" STREET, IN CHINA, iNDIA OR ANY OTHER THIRD WORLD COUNTY WITH LABOR CHEAP ENOUGH FOR THE UBER RICH THAT OWNS THE REPULICAN PARTY..........STILL.

MCCARTHY..........WANTS TO TRIPLE THE NUMBER OF LEGAL IMMIGRANTS BROUGHT INTO THE USA.....CHECK IT OUT. DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH. HE WANTS OVER 3 MILLION LEGAL IMMIGRANTS BROUGHT INTO THE USA.........TO TAKE MORE USA JOBS........BECAUSE MCCARTHY APPARENTLY FEELS AMERICAN WORKERS ARE STUPID AND LAZY. (AND THEY DON'T HAVE A VISA THAT CAN BE YANKED IF THEY DARE TALK BACK TO THE BOSSMAN) WHO IN THE HECK IS HE TO BE LECTURING ANYONE ON ANYTHING? HE SHOULD BE PUT ON A BARGE AND SHIPPED TO INDIA.......IMHO. OF COURSE THEY HAVE A CLOSED MARKET. AMERICANS CAN NOT WORK IN THE INDIAN MARKET........THOSE JOBS ARE FOR INDIANS. DITTO CHINA.

MCCARTHY KNOWS........HE HAS TO KNOW.........THAT CURRENTLY 57% OF LEGAL IMMIGRANTS, WITH AT LEAST ONE CHILD, ARE ON MEDICADE AND FOOD STAMPS.

MCCARTHY KNOWS. HE HAS TO KNOW THAT OVER 100 MILLION LEGAL IMMIGRANTS HAVE BEEN BROUGHT TO THE USA IN THE LAST 26 YARS..........AND 90% OF THEM HAVE NO INSURANCE. OVER 10 MILLION HAVE BEEN BROUGHT TO THE USA IN THE LAST TEN YEARS...............AND 90% HAVE NO INSURANCE.

MEDICADE IS NOT POOR BLACK FAMILIES AS D.C. AND THE MSM WOULD HAVE YOU BELIVE. ONLY 37% OF THOSE BORN IN THE USA ARE ON MEDICADE OR FOOD STAMPS.

MEDICADE.......THE FREE ONE...THE WELFARE ONE.........IS USED BY PEOPLE WITH NO INSURANCE. LEGAL IMMIGRANTS AND ILLEGAL MMIGRANTS. IT HAS INCREASED IN COSTS BY 57^ IN THE LAST TWO YEARS. THE 30 MILLION NEW PEOPLE TO BE COVERED UNDER OBAMCARE...............WILL BE ON MEDICADE. SURPRISE.......ABOUT 90% ARE IMMIGRANTS..LEGAL OR ILLEGAL. CITIZENSHIP...........WHEN IT IS OUR CONGRESS...............IN NOTHING. IT IS A VIOLATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS FOR THE AMERICAN PUBLIC TO NOT PAY FOR THE MEDICAL COSTS OF ANY PERSON WHO WISHES TO COME TO THE USA..FOR ANY REASON. SO NOW..........THE COSTS HAVE EXPLODED.,

AND THE ONLY ANSWER............IS TO KILL MEDICARE, AND IT GETS WORSE. MCCARTHY AND ILK...RYAN..THEY KNOW..THEY HAVE TO KNOW............. EXACTLY WHO IS IN THOSE BEDS IN USA NURSING HOMES......WHICH ACCOUNT FOR 2/3 OF THE HORRENDOUS COSTS OF MEDICADE....................ARE THEY EVEN USA CITIZENS...IF THAT EVEN MEANS ANYTHING ANYMORE..........NO! A HUGE MEDICADE SCAM CURRENTLY IS FOR LEGAL WORKERS..ILLEGAL WORKERS..TO BRING RELATIVES OVER...ON TOURIST VISAS...OR BY WALKING ACROSS THE ARIZONA BORDER............THEN...MEDICAL CARE CANNOT BE DENIED TO ANYONE OVER 65........THEY ARE A PROTECTED CLASS...FOR IMMIGRANTS..NOT CITIZENS.........AND EXTENDED NURSING HOME CARE CANNOT BE DENIED THEM..........EVEN IF RYAN..MCCARTHY..ICE KNOWS...THEY ARE HERE ON OVERSTAYED VISAS.........OR HERE ILLEGALLY.

THAT IS HOW DEEP......BOTH PARTIES ARE INTO TAKING CARE OF THE CHEAP LABOR..IMMIGRANTS GIVE TO BUSINESS. THEY ARE THAT DEEP INTO THE CHAMBER OF COMERCE. THIS IS HOW ANTI-AMERICAN WORKER........BOTH PARTIES ARE IN REALITY. THEY TALK BIG........AND UNDERCUT AMERICAN WORKERS........EVERY CHANCE THEY GET. BOTH PARTIES.

I WOULD REMIND REP. MCCARTHY OF SOMETHING SAID IN JOB.. ....." THOSE WHO SOW THE WIND.......READ THE WHIRLWIND".

I WOULD ALSO SUGGEST THE RNC.........RENT DR. ZHIVAGO AND MAKE EVERY REPUBLICAN WATCH IT....THEN SOME RUSHES OF WHEN THE SOVIETS...............MARCHED OUT OF AFGHANISTAN.......THEN THE RUSHES OF TWO YEARS LATER.......WHEN THE SOVIET UNION...........VANISHED.

I hope Republicans continue to live in denial and generate rationalizations for the apparent unpopularity of their budgetary approach. Given the fact that their stale, failed policies gave us the Great Crash of 2008 and the Great Recession and that Republicans ran again on those same failed policies in 2010, Republicans never deserved the big political successes they enjoyed in the midterm elections. 2012 should sweep Republicans out of the House majority and retain Democratic control of the Senate and White House. Republicans deserve no better as long as they seek to balance the budget on the backs of children, women, the elderly and the rest of US -- all except the wealthiest and biggest corporations. As long as Republicans fail to do the math and seek ways to raise new revenues to accompany spending cuts, as long as they insist that cutting off wasteful corporate welfare is an "unfair raising of taxes," as long as they believe "voucherizing" and shrinking Medicare is "saving" it instead of putting millions of our elderly in life-and-death jeopardy, they deserve the sweeping political defeats that ominously loom ahead.

Add that many of the GOP House members complaining that Democrats and the media are telling Seniors about their plan to make Medicare a voucher system were the ones who ran last fall on saving medicare and were warning seniors not to vote Democratic. Priceless hypocrisy!

Perceptions, aka Mitt, Don't worry so much about deficits, they don't matter. I think that was Dick Cheney who coined that phrase when the GOP was running up the deficit. Just keep telling yourself, deficits don't matter...

The Ryan Plan guts Medicare to preserve tax cuts for the rich. The GOP House is full in. The Senate? Watch the GOP Senators squirm and try to hedge their bets -- they don't want to **** off their base and at the same time they know that voting for the Ryan Plan is the kiss of death! Scott Brown already did a 360. Unfortunately the fact that one week before he declared support for this bill has probably already done him in...

This story is not going away. It isn't because of the "lamestream media". Politico is running it because people are talking about it. Seniors are concerned. That is why they are showing up at town halls and GOP town halls are no longer a Tea Party Love-in. Get used to it, stop playing "kill the messenger" and try to figure out why the Ryan Plan is so unpopular with Seniors... Good luck taking it back, aka Newting it.

The GOP had better get it's head screwed on right or Barack Obama will be back in the White House in 2012!! And the American people had better get their heads screwed on straight also.....we voted for change in 2010 (real change) to get America back to the country that we all grew up in. Change that was to reverse the Socialist trend that Obama and the Democrats were taking this great Republic.....and now these same voters, these same good citizens, are waffeling because their handouts might disappear or change...........changes that need to be done to keep our country solvent and prosperous and FREE!! What is wrong with you people??? Nobody said it was going to be easy or pain free. We are where we are because for the past 23 years we have allowed Presidents, Senators, and Congresspeople to kill everything that this country has stood for for generations. And we continue to do this.........wake up America!!!